Tricks of the Mind
by roxyinwinter
Summary: Nora wakes up after the Nephilim and Fallen Angel War and no one but her and Patch know what actually happened. Why has everyone's minds been blanked, and is it for the best?
1. The Hospital

**Chapter 1 – The Hospital**

The sun shone through my window, it must be nearly noon. I rolled over and stretched out in my single bed wishing that I had actually closed the curtains before I got into bed this morning. My eyelids fluttered. Biggest decision of my life at the moment… get out of bed and close them or try to sleep through it. Yesterday I had killed Dante and eradicated the whole of the Fallen Angle race except Patch and I owed myself an afternoon sleep in. I closed my eyes and pulled sheets over my head.

"She's awake, go get the Nurse",

I sat up straight away. I was in a hospital bed, my Mom was draped in the armchair by bed and Vee was anxiously standing at the door.

"Vee," I stammered "What the fuck is going on",

Vee's face turned from anxious to alarmed as she made her way over to my bed.

"You hit your head badly Nora, you're in the hospital"

"I got that far myself thanks" I muttered impatiently looking down at my arms. They were covered in scratches and bruises. I shuffled my body and my leg ached with pain, "My leg?".

"Look," Vee said, turning to face my Mom who nodded, staring at me with bloodshot eyes, "You were in a car accident"

"The other people…?" I whispered still confused about when and where this happened. This was the second time I had woken up with no recollection of what had happened, and someone would pay if my memory had been swiped again.

"They're fine", Vee replied forcing a smile, but her eyes were tearing up, "It's just Scott" she mumbled and my Mom let out a sob, "He's dead" she said even quieter. Both Vee and my Mom stared at me trying to catch my reaction.

"I know," I said remorsefully, "I'm so sorry Vee, he was so brave".

Both of them looked at me. "But you just woke up babe, you couldn't have known". Vee said in a voice which sent the message she thought I was going crazy

_The war Vee, I was there when Dante killed him, it was terrible_, I mindspoke to her.

"Blythe", Vee said smiling at my Mom, "Maybe you should track down Nora's nurse, maybe she forgot".

My mom stood up, walked over to me and kissed me on the head. "I'll be back" she croaked and slowly walked out the room.

Vee propped herself up on the end of my bed leaning in. I shuddered with pain from my leg. "Sorry" Vee said with a small smile, "But seriously Nora, I have no idea what your talking about. Wars? Is that code for something, because I'm missing the handbook".

I rolled my eyes. "Vee, you know that thing in the cemetery when all the Fallen Angels attacked the Nephilim, that is a war".

"Yeah, still not getting it", she paused briefly, "What are fallen angels?" she said calmly raising her eyebrows with a 'you're definitely crazy' look.

I froze. Someone definitely had mind tricked her. "Vee, you know you're Nephilim right?"

_Yes hence the mindspeak_, she spoke into my head.

I moaned with frustration, "I'll sort this out" I said under my breath. I looked up at Vee who was smiling calmly at me in a patronizing way. I needed to grip on what actually had happened, the car crash, my loss of memory and Vee's. "Where's Patch?".

"I texted him you were up, he should be here any minute".

I felt kind of betrayed. If I was really in a car accident wouldn't Patch be waiting by my bedside the whole time.

"Where was he?" I tried to ask nonchalantly, restraining my annoyance.

My Mom walked back into the room with the Nurse who began flicking through the chart at the end of my bed.

_Training with the other Nephilim babe, _It was obvious Vee was new to the whole mindspeak game. Although trying to be sneaky by talking straight to me her face lit up like any other conversation.

_The Nephilim like him? _I spoke back to her mind.

_Look babe. I really don't know what you're talking about. Patch is Nephilim. You hit your head fairly hard, maybe you just need some rest_. She smiled at me then turned to my mother. "My Mom wanted me home for dinner, I'll swing by tomorrow to see Nora alright?"

"You better" I said in the most cheery voice I could muster, but she was really getting on my nerves.

**(A/N): Sorry this is such a short chapter! Should I continue this story? Leave me comments and/or suggestions!**


	2. Borderline

**Chapter 2 – Borderline**

I drifted in and out of sleep for the next few hours. I was fairly sure that I hadn't actually been in a car crash, but I still felt physically drained. The last thing I remembered was going home the night after the Nephilim war. I peeped through my eyelashes and through my blurred vision I saw a black mass sitting in the corner of my hospital room. I widened my eyes and there he was.

"Oh my god, Patch," I said with relief rubbing my eyes with my hands. He just sat in the corner looking at me confused. "Patch…?" I started to say again. He stood up and walked slowly towards me stopping half way.

"How do you know my name?" he said, squinting at me, almost as if trying to recognise me. My heart instantly sank. I could feel my throat tense up and my eyes begin to water. I didn't care if my mom or Vee couldn't remember the war, but I couldn't have Patch ripped out of my life, not after all that we had been through. Before I knew it he was sitting beside me on the bed I felt his hand either side of my shoulders, he leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Bad joke," he said seriously but still with a smirk on his face. I went to punch him but at the last minute pulled him into a hug, sobbing.

"You're an arsehole you know," I said into his chest between sobs. "Why is everything still screwed up".

"Angel," he sighed detaching me from him so we face to face , "It isn't" Patch managed a smile. "There was some degree of clean up the archangels had to do to smooth things over".

"Like Scott's death," I added deadpan trying not to tear up again.

"Yes," he murmured looking away, "It doesn't make it any less honourable though. I'll always be in debt to him".

"What's the extent of the clean up?"

Patch pushed his hair back with hands and made a frustrated noise. "I don't even know where to start". He got up off the end of my bed and started pacing back and forth, "Let's get you out of here alright and I'll tell you everything"

"But I want to know now"

"I meant now".

-

Patch pulled his Jeep around the front of the hospital and I hopped inside, still in my gown.

"Motorcycle missed the cleanup then" I joked. Over the past few weeks I had grown accustomed to riding around on his motorcycle.

"I thought you'd appreciate your gown not flapping around" he said looking over to me and winking. I felt a slight blush grow in my cheeks. Patch lent over to the back seat and grabbed a pile of folded clothes and a pair of converse, and pushed them into my lap. "You can get changed while we drive, right?"

I nodded and picked up the clothes; dark wash skinny jeans and a striped Henley top. Patch had been in my room I figured, I doubted my mother gave him permission, and picked me out an outfit, I smiled to myself as I shrugged on my jeans.

"I'm thinking Borderline" Patch said turning to face me.

"Whatever's good"

"Borderline it is"

Patch led me straight through the doors of the restaurant and we managed to grab a secluded booth towards the back. Patch had worked at the Borderline when I had first met him, although I never knew if it was just a cover while he "hunted" me down, or if he actually worked. I always doubted the latter up until now, he had other probably not reputable ways of earning money, but as he walked through the restaurant he gave a couple of waves and smiled towards the other workers.

"Food, Angel?" Patch asked as we sat down, but I was already impatient

"Quit stalling"

"You mustn't have eaten since yesterday right?"

I sighed, "Maybe", I was kind of hungry, "Just a milkshake" I added.

"Good," he smiled, "and then we will get down to business", he shot me one of his daring smiles and got up to go to the bar.

**(A/N): What do you think of this story? Give me advise, what you like/don't like and I can fix it up for future chapters. I'm sorry they are pretty short chapters! But then I can probably get more up!**


	3. Answers

**Chapter 3 - Answers**

Borderline was relatively bare for the time of the day. There were a couple of people at the front of the restaurant, but around our booth at the back was completed private. The tall, blonde waitress bought over my milkshake and gave me a quick smile and went back to the kitchen.

"Spill it", I whispered, dead pan, to Patch as soon as she left. Patch sighed, closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, "Wait, so it's really bad?"

Patched laughed, "Not really", he looked around the restaurant cautiously, "It's just, I don't know how you will take it".

"At least give me the chance,"

"Alright Angel, but it's a long story".

I smiled, probably more than I should have. I had no idea what the explanation for mine, Vee's and god knows who else's memory. I was just glad that he was getting to the point.

"You remember the whole war right?"

"Yes," I said expectantly.

"Well, the majority of the Fallen Angel race has been eradicated yeah," he gave a little smile and winked, "Except a few like me".

"Yeah, yeah got it, you're great and all"

"I guess the only way to explain it all is to look at it logically," he closed his eyes for a few seconds then continued, "All Nephillim know about the Fallen Angel's demise and all about swearing fealty, but, there are still 'bad seeds' among the angels and they will continue to be cast down from heaven",

I nodded listening to every word carefully.

"So, when new Fallen Angels are cast down, they will look for a Nephilim vessel", he paused for a second trying to gauge my response, then continued slowly, "The Archangels erased the Nephilim's memory so they would be easier to possess and less likely to rebel any time soo…"

"Stop," I interrupted, "You're telling me that", I seethed "The Archangels have set up **my** race to be continually possessed!"

"My race too, Angel," he reached over to place his hand on mine but I pulled away.

"This war was all for nothing, whatever we do, we'll always be victims, Scott died for nothing",

"Yeah, it's rough," he smiled weakly, "At least we've got eternity to come to terms with it".

"I don't want to come to terms with it, we could reunite the army or something, I still remember all the resistant methods",

"No," Patch murmured.

I froze. This was the only logical solution, I stared at him unblinking. "What do you mean 'No'."

"It's hard to come to terms with, but it's only two weeks in a year, rather than millions of humans potentially dying over the years".

"It's not the same," I scowled.

Patch rolled his eyes, "So you wouldn't give up two weeks of your life to save 5 or 6 human lives?"

"It's not the same,"

"Yeah it is actually, tell me exactly what isn't the same then" he smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"You wouldn't get it anyway, once a Fallen Angel, always a Fallen Angel", I got up, pushed my chair in and stormed out of Borderline. Patch didn't follow me, I wish he had. The truth was he was right; what was 2 weeks compared to the lives of 5 or 6 people, I just didn't want it to be true. If he had followed me I would have told him. There had to be another way but I wasn't thinking straight my head was still pounding. I hadn't even asked Patch why I still remembered things and why there had to be a car crash, and why I had to be involved. I sighed and sat down on the curb around the corner and called Vee.

"Yeah Babe?" she answered on the second ring.

"Patch bailed me out the hospital, but I need to be picked up… at Borderline"

"And he can't take you why?"

"I might have started an argument and have to much pride to waltz back inside and ask for a lift" I said wearying.

"Ahh, good one Nora, I'll be there in 10 alright"

"Thanks, I owe you",

"More than you know", and Vee hang up.

In the ten minutes I waited for Vee to pick me up I stared at the door of Borderline. Patch didn't leave, or he left out the back, or if he was sick enough, he could have played a mind trick on trick me. Just thinking about that made me angrier. Vee's neon came around the corner and I stood up. The car had barely stopped before I opened the door and jumped in, slamming the door behind me.

Vee rolled her eyes, "I not a huge fan of Patch either, but don't take it out on the Neon," I laughed and she pulled out the car park. My phone pinged.

_Glad you're getting home safely. I wish I could apologize for something, but that just how it is. _

I sighed.

"What is it" Vee asked raising her eyebrows.

"I'm sick of all this drama, car crashes and that bullshit"

"Yeah, tell me about it".

"We should have some fun, go out or something,"

"Well that's very un-Nora of you, so I'm definitely in", she smiled excitedly and contemplated for a bit. "We'll swing past my house pick up some clothes and makeup and get ready at yours".

"Or we could just hang out for a bit at yours for a bit?"

"I'm guessing your Mom wants to touch base before we head out,"

"Hmm I suppose," I hadn't thought of my Mom in all this, and had neglected to ask Patch about her. Did she remember Hank Millar and all that he did to her? I pushed it out of my mind, Patch would tell me later and I would deal with it then. "Where are we going then?"

"Dancing," she smiled, "Can't back out" she quickly added to the end. I seriously would never go out if it wasn't for Vee, but I'd admit – only to myself – there wasn't a time went she dragged me out, that I didn't enjoy it.

"Wouldn't dare,"

**(A/N): Sorry that this is a short chapter, I find it easier to write then this size. And sorry for the delay, I've been busy with uni ****. I appreciate every bit of feedback. Tell me where you think this story is going and/or any suggestions! I would love it **


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